At the start of the year myself and a couple of friends had the idea to do a couple of sporting challenges and what started out as low key ideas soon got way out of control. Roll on a couple of months later and we’ve completed the Yorkshire 3 peaks and National 3 Peaks, we still have the Lake Windermere 11 mile swim, a 50k Spartan run in Scotland and are cycling from Lands End to John O’Groats, with ideas and challenges for November and December still to come.

With all this, i’m super excited to say that i’m looking to raise funds for an incredible charity, Little Gate Farm. Little Gate Farm specialises in helping adults with autism and learning disabilities, get into the workplace by helping to give them all the support they need to learn the role and adapt to their new workplace.

They also run a fantastic Young/Teen Rangers club for children with autism and learning disabilities where they can spend their days building dens, making campfires, baking, undertaking teamwork challenges, enjoying arts and crafts, caring for farm animals and looking out for local wildlife. 

Families with children that have learning disabilities or autism receive a good level of support from the state whilst their children are aged 18 or younger. But from the age of 19 this support is withdrawn, leaving many families feeling that they are standing on a cliff edge – suddenly dealing with the same situation, just with far less assistance. With this in mind, Little Gate Farm have set up the Parent Forum. The Parent Forum is an opportunity for the families of people with learning disabilities or autism, of any age, to get together and share information and advice. The simple act of meeting other families in a similar situation can in itself bring a huge amount of reassurance.

If by doing these challenges I can help raise awareness for this brilliant charity and improve the quality of peoples lives then it is truly worth every mile run, swam and cycled. I have no set target for my fundraising but any donation would be greatly appreciated.

Ax